Woods County Emergency Management

08/20/2026

Woods County fire departments copy that are on a rekindled fire northwest of Alva Northeast of freedom rough terrain and dry conditions are making it difficult to get under control but we believe it will be out soon. we would also like to thank our Heavy equipment operators from our county districts who are always a call away to assist.

08/19/2026

08/19/2026

Woods county commissioners are issuing a 14 day burn ban for all of Woods County, we ask the public to please adhere to these rules and regulations for the safety of all of Woods County.

08/17/2026

Thank goodness for the rain, over the weekend the Woods County fire departments along with multiple other departments from around NW Oklahoma and Kansas were busy with three fires in NW Woods County, the heat along with the winds made it difficult. With all the extra help all fires are now out. Thank you to all those that helped and provided food and drinks throughout the weekend.
I was not able to get pictures of all the fires but large amounts of grass land were burned but no structures were lost.

08/13/2026

Special Weather Statement issued August 13 at 3:27PM CDT by NWS Norman OK

Harper; Woods

At 325 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking showers and developing
thunderstorms capable of strong wind gusts along a line extending
from 9 miles north of Selman to 3 miles northeast of Slapout.
Movement was northeast at 40 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects.

Locations impacted include...
Laverne, Buffalo, Rosston, and Selman.

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

08/13/2026

DANGEROUS SOUTHERN PLAINS FIRE RISK🔥⚡a day of high fire danger is expected across parts of the Southern Plains Thursday especially western Oklahoma and the eastern Texas Panhandle! Strong southerly winds will combine with low humidity and exceptionally dry fuels creating conditions favorable for rapid fire spread. There’s also an isolated dry thunderstorm risk Thursday afternoon across parts of the Texas Panhandle, northwest Oklahoma and southern Kansas. Storms are expected to initially be high-based, meaning some areas could see lightning and strong outflow winds with little meaningful rainfall outside of the heavier rain cores. Lightning could spark new fires. Temperatures climbing back into the lower 100s will create an environment capable of powerful thunderstorm downdrafts. Any storms that develop could produce strong, erratic downburst winds, potentially igniting new fires through lightning and causing any existing or newly started fires to spread rapidly🔥⚡

08/12/2026

Thanks to the Woods County fire departments a fire with a potential to cause damage to structures was stopped quickly, also thank you to district 3 for the use of the equipment to help maintain and get this fire under control. Fire was located south west of Alva.

07/20/2026

Just so the public is aware, the fire that was seen southwest of Alva was a controlled burn which eventually became uncontrolled Alva fire department was able to get it under control in a short time.